


marks on the soul

by wanderingalonelypath



Series: Serpent & Bull [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Jughead Jones, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Female Jughead Jones, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Serpent King FP Jones, Soulmarks, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Southside Serpent Cheryl Blossom, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, it has a happy ending i promise, ngl I shoved all my otps in here, that trope where your soulmates name is written on your arm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24722890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingalonelypath/pseuds/wanderingalonelypath
Summary: Jughead always thought soulmates were bullshit, even more so when the name 'Reginald Mantle' appeared on her wrist the night of her 16th birthday party.ORWhat happens when you reject your soulmate?
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, FP Jones II/Fred Andrews (mentioned), Fangs Fogarty/Sweet Pea, Jughead Jones/Reggie Mantle
Series: Serpent & Bull [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2048912
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	marks on the soul

Jughead never really liked the idea of soulmates.

She learned about them in elementary school, the same as everyone else. On the surface level, the system was easy to understand. When you turn 16, the name of your soulmate is written on the skin of your right arm in their handwriting, just a bit beneath your wrist. If your soulmate turns 16 before you, your name doesn’t appear on their wrist until you’re both 16. Soulmates can be any gender, any nationality, any location. The only constant is that they’re usually within the same age range as you, so that means the highschool soulmates genre makes millions every year. 

Jughead was biased against soulmates from the get-go when she realized her parents decidedly did not have each other's names.

It was an accident when she caught the name scrawled on her dad’s arm, a very neat and simple ‘Fred Andrews’ making home on his skin. It was gone in the next instant as he shoved his sleeve down, casting furtive glances at her as he drunkenly tried to figure out if she had seen it. She pretended she didn’t.

She figured if she wanted anyone to be her soulmate, she’d probably want Archie. They were best friends, and he always wanted to play treehouse with her whenever she snuck over from her trailer. His mom and dad (also not soulmates, also together) let her sleepover whenever she wanted, and those nights where they both slept in sleeping bags on the floor of his room, eating cheez-its and making funny shapes with a flashlight, were some of her favorite nights.

But things change.

Her mom and her sister left for Toledo, left her with a drunk for a father and a trailer that was so far from home that she'd rather sleep in the drive-in. At least she had Archie; until she didn’t. Until he bailed on their road trip to _hook up with a teacher. _And no matter how many times she told him that she was manipulating him, that she was just using him for something, whether it be sex or companionship, that it was the textbook definition of statutory rape, he didn’t listen. And suddenly she was _hoping _that his name wouldn’t scrawl across her arm on her birthday.____

____But, slowly, things changed again._ _ _ _

____Veronica Lodge rolled into town, and Archie slowly tried to start repairing what broke between the two of them, and Jason Blossom was murdered, not drowned, and she had three new friends as they tried to figure out whodunit. Archie was batting between Betty and Veronica like those old school ping pong games but she mostly worked with Betty to track down clues and follow leads. Betty with her pastel room and soft sweaters and sweet ponytail and Jughead had a passing thought that she wouldn’t mind if Betty Cooper ended up being her soulmate._ _ _ _

____She had a feeling it was going to be either Archie or Veronica for her though, if this dramatic three-way tango was any indication._ _ _ _

____Still, the three of them defended her when Reggie was being an asshole and Cheryl was being a bitch, and they never complained when she snuck a fry or two from their plates because she rarely had enough money left from her check to buy anything other than ramen for dinner. And for a brief, exhilarating moment, she forgot anything like soulmates existed while she tried to track down a murderer with her best friends._ _ _ _

____Until, of course, The Party._ _ _ _

____In their defense, they meant well. It was only supposed to be inner-circle friends: the four of them, Kevin, Joaquin. Betty even mentioned that she asked her dad to come by, even though her hopes for that were low. But of course Cheryl had heard, and told Chuck, who told Reggie, who told the football team, and so on and so forth until her 16th birthday party turned into the biggest rager of the school year and her personal hell._ _ _ _

____People were drunk and loud and, growing up with an alcoholic for a father, those were the two things that she hated the most. She snapped at Betty for even organizing the thing and immediately felt guilty afterward. After all, she planned the party but _Archie _was the one who invited everyone in. It didn’t take long for her to just decide to leave, bumping hard into Reggie on the way out and hearing him mutter something along the lines of “Feel sorry for the poor fucker who has you for a soulmate.”___ _ _ _

______By the end of the night, after she had finally escaped with bruised knuckles and a split lip (thank you Chuck) to the fluorescent stability of Pop’s, she was sipping painfully on a milkshake when she felt the burning on her arm. She took a shaky inhale of breath, pointedly not rolling her sleeve up while feeling every curl of the name being marked onto her skin forever._ _ _ _ _ _

______She waited until the last vestiges of marking faded before putting her milkshake down, holding her arm in front of her, and slowly pushing her sleeve up._ _ _ _ _ _

______There, written in surprisingly decent cursive just a few finger-widths below the crease of her wrist, were the words _Reginald Mantle. _____ _ _ _ _

________Jughead thinks that night in Pop’s was the first time she ever laughed until she cried._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The next time she saw her supposed ‘soulmate’ face to face was after her trip to Southside High._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She knew his 16th had been a month before hers, so her name was written on his arm the night of the party as well. They had seen each other in passing since then; she caught a glimpse of him one day at the hospital when he and the Bulldogs showed up to support Archie. The few days after her dad went to jail and before she got transferred to Southside High they went to school around each other like always, but they made a point to never look at each other. Every time she heard him coming she left the room as fast as she possibly could._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Even at Southside, where she didn’t know if anyone would even know his name, she made a point to cover up his mark with long sleeves, chunky bracelets, even a bandage once or twice when she was desperate. Luckily, the high school Serpents weren’t nosy like she thought they might be._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Then again, the Serpents turned out nothing like she thought they might be._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Joining the Serpents felt like the first breath of fresh air she had had in years. She had preconceptions on what they were, molded by her parents and Alice Cooper and every other Northsider who seemed to have an opinion on them, and she had never been happier to be proven wrong. After she ran the Gauntlet and got her skin, earning it this time, not as an offer of protection, they welcomed her in like she had been a Serpent all her life. She wondered out loud if that was because her dad was King, even behind bars, but Sweet Pea was quick to assure her that wasn’t it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Once you run the Gauntlet, once you say the words, you’re a Serpent._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She did realize that her dad being King was a big reason why the younger Serpents flocked to her during school. Why she lead the pack when they walked down the hallways. Why she heard more than once Ghoulie hissing about the ‘Serpent Princess’ when she passed in the hall. She couldn’t say she minded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She changed, after donning her skin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Gone were the days she holed up at Pop’s, beanie pulled low and face stuck in a laptop so she could pretend like she didn’t want anyone to care about her. Now, she jumped into Sweet Pea’s sister's old pickup truck and rode with the others down to the quarry, snorting with laughter as they threw cheap fireworks at each other and passed around a joint. Her so-called ‘best friends’ from the Northside were all too happy to abandon her after she joined her new family, and she found that she didn’t miss them nearly as much as she thought she would. Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni didn’t fill the holes that Betty, Archie, and Veronica left, but they carved out new places in her heart and she loved them fiercely for it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It wasn’t until a sticky afternoon where they were all more skin than shirts that they finally caught a glimpse of her mark._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It was Sweet Pea, of course, who asked. He was never one to beat around the bush or phrase anything delicately. She was lounging next to him in nothing but a bikini top and shorts (something else she never would have done before she met her Snakes, who finally made her feel like she didn’t have to hide) the stark black writing almost a beacon on her pale skin. There was a lull in conversation as Toni and Fangs finished debating the superiority of Cherry Vanilla coke to regular Vanilla coke, when Sweets jerked his chin at her arm and asked, no sugarcoating, “Have you met him?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She met his eyes and said, no sugarcoating, “Unfortunately.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________They never asked about him again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She did her best not to even think about Reggie most days, because she never had a reason to see him now that they lived on opposite sides and town and didn’t go to the same school, but sometimes a stray thought drifted toward him and she got unreasonably angry. Why? Why did her soulmate have to be nothing but a stereotypical jock bully? Didn’t she deserve a fucking break for once? It only intensified whenever Sweet Pea and Fangs would have their rare moments of vulnerability, where Fangs would sling an arm around his waist or Sweet Pea would drop a kiss on his cheek. How she wished she had gotten something as easy and uncomplicated as having a best friend as a soulmate._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It was why when Toni turned 16 (the last of the four of them) and found ‘Cheryl Blossom’ written on her arm in bold loops, Jughead was the only one who could really understand what she was feeling because Toni had never actually met Cheryl before, but she knew enough about her from her name and her family and Jughead’s stories about her to know that she had been dealt just as shitty a hand as Jughead herself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The day Southside High was closed down and their group of Serpents found out they were all being transferred to Riverdale the next day, Jug could only be thankful that her dad was out of town on Serpent business when Toni knocked on her door at 11:30 at night, only giving her time enough to shut the door before she shoved Jug up against the wall, capturing her in a fierce and desperate kiss. ‘Help me forget.’ Her lips said, and Jughead was only too happy to comply, gripping under her thighs and carrying her to the bedroom._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________When they walked into Riverdale High the next day, Jughead had her Serpent jacket on, combat boots tied, fishnet top showing her stomach, and hickeys adorning her neck in protest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The best part was, no one even recognized her at the head of the gang until Reggie showed up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She had given a stray thought or two to if Reggie had told people he was her soulmate. If he covered up his arm even while changing in the locker room, or if he left it bare for the whole school to see because he simply didn’t give a shit about her or their ‘bond’. If the entire school already knew that the weird loner and douchebag football captain were destined to be together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She got her answer, though, when Reggie and Cheryl descended the steps behind Veronica’s welcoming party like they were the goddamn King and Queen. She felt her awareness of him snap into place like a bear trap; she could feel every step he took closer to her, and her muscles tensed with the knowledge that the other half of her was so close. She quietly scoffed at the ridiculousness of it all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She didn’t know if she should feel sorry for Toni or relieved that at least she wasn’t stuck with _Cheryl Blossom _. Once they started their altercation she felt her eyes wandering, pulled by that invisible string, over to Reggie. She would’ve tried to stop herself if she thought it would do her any good, but it seemed like even Reggie knew that fighting the pull was pointless.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It was like the world fuzzed-out when she set eyes on him again, for the first time in months. They were surrounded by people in the crowded hall but all she could see was him and that grey sweater he was wearing that looked soft and-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The hall was silent, and her Serpents and his Bulldogs and all the other students were looking between them like this was going to turn into a bad teen drama where they would suddenly have some dramatic kiss and immediately reconcile their differences, and Jughead will be _damned _before she lets _herself _turn into a cliche. She snaps her awareness away from their bond and makes a point to remember every time Reggie shoved her into a locker, or yanked her headphones off her ears, or ‘accidentally’ knocked her books down or her milkshake over in Pop’s. She made a point to remember that Reggie is nothing but a bully and a misogynist and soulmate or not, _he would never change _._______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________So she sneered at him, yanked their schedules out of Veronica’s hand, and turned heel to head off towards the student lounge, her Serpents falling in step behind her like they’d been doing it all her life._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________No one ever talked about what happens when you outright reject your soulmate, because it’s something that rarely happens, if _ever _. Even if your soulmate is a horrible person, you’re usually just as horrible, so it doesn’t matter. People can go their entire life without meeting their soulmate, so you can forget about them. You can know your soulmate and ignore the bond, which, her dad told her once when he was three sheets to the wind, aches like a broken bone that’s just barely healed. But rejecting them? Knowing them and knowing your bond and spitting in fate’s face and saying “No! I refuse!”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________You get punished for that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Jughead barely manages to settle her snakes in the student lounge to start looking over their schedules before she stumbles to the empty girl's restroom, leaning against on the sinks and gripping her right arm so tight she thought her nails would break the skin. The burning was like nothing she ever felt before; like someone was holding a hot pan on her skin, pressing hard until her skin bubbled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She thought her dad would skin her alive if he saw her throw her jacket on the dirty bathroom floor, but all thoughts of her dad and her jacket left her mind when she saw her soul mark._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Reggie’s name was still there, but instead of plain black writing, it was an angry red, the skin hot to the touch, the letters raised like fresh scars. She knew intrinsically that wherever Reggie was, he was also feeling it. Then she thought of him spitting “Southside scum” at her back as she walked away, and she couldn’t regret it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She ran her arm under cold water until the sting faded back into its regular black, shrugged her jacket back on, and went back to the student lounge as if nothing unusual had happened._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________By the glance Toni shot her when she got back and the way she was rubbing her own soul mark, she figured she wasn’t the only one dealing with the consequences of rejection._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________It didn’t matter. She could never be with a bully._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Apparently she had missed quite a lot while at Southside. Betty, Archie, and Veronica had finally sorted out their complicated triangle on the morning of Veronica’s 16th, when Archie AND Betty’s name both appeared on her arm. Not unheard of, but certainly uncommon enough in a small town like Riverdale to keep it at the number one scandal for a good few weeks. The massive fight Betty had with her parents when they found out was still talked about at school till this day, and it was becoming an increasingly familiar sight to see Betty staying at Archie’s for nights in a row._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________People were starting to pair off as their soulmates were revealed, in a higher number than Jughead expected given that there weren’t that many people in Riverdale to begin with. She supposed some people were just lucky that way. Or unlucky, in her case._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Her and Reggie made an effort to stay out of each other's way as the weeks wore on, even though their bond wasn’t so keen on the idea. Without missing a beat, their eyes were always drawn to one another when they were in the same room. At least half of her day was spent staring at the asshole, entirely without her consent, given that they had Chemistry together and always seemed to be in the lounge at the same fucking time. She’d taken to skiving off to Pop’s with the Serpents at lunch just so she didn’t have to catch a glance at him across the lunchroom._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Given that Cheryl was still a massive bitch, and Toni was in much the same boat as her, their clandestine hookups continued. Jug had to admit that it was fun. Toni was a friend, no chance of an ill-fated romance, and a really good lay. She gave incredible head, and whenever she got lucky enough for Toni to go down on her, she didn’t think about Reggie for at least the rest of the day._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Riverdale was getting deadlier every day. Ghoulies were pressing for more territory on the Southside and that kept her dad busy enough that she almost never saw him, but when she did, he didn’t have the stink of alcohol on his breath, so she counted that as a win. The Black Hood was still stalking the streets, and she teamed up with the threesome to try to find out who he was, since they managed to figure out who killed Jason. Jughead wanted to say that they were getting pretty good at this, even though they’d only put away one murderer for now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Tension was at a low boil until the night of the musical, and suddenly, another one of their classmates was dead, and everyone thought Fangs did it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She nearly came to blows with Reggie in the student lounge when he flat out accused Fangs of killing her since he had been in her room right before curtain. Her arm was on fire nearly up to her shoulder as they screamed at one another, finally separated by Sweet Pea, of all people, pulling her out of the room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Only Toni could follow her into the bathroom as she ripped her jacket off and fell to the floor, clenching her teeth as her face was streaked with pained tears. All Toni could do was rub her back through the throbs._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Two nights later they were bracketing Fangs as they shoved their way through the crowd around the station, the normally serene citizens of Riverdale razed into a riot for their ‘fallen daughter’. She meant what she promised Fangs, though. He was getting out of this alive._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________But the crowd surged around them, and Archie tackled Reggie, and her soulmate had a gun in his hand, and she saw the glint of another one just a few heads behind them and it was pointed at Fangs and she promised him and he was her family and--_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Suddenly she didn’t think she would get out of this alive instead._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________In all of the fourteen days she stayed in Riverdale General, Reggie didn’t come to see her once._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She was glad. At this point, a bullet in the gut wouldn’t have stopped her from kicking his ass. She remembered all too well the look on his face when he was tackled. If Archie hadn’t gotten there when he did, her ‘other half’ would’ve shot one of her best friends._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Every time she saw him now, she got a hot rush of anger that coincided with the burning in her arm. She felt like she was angry all the time; Riot Night didn’t solve anything besides making everyone _angry _. Penny and her Ghoulies were still skulking around the Southside but now they were making bolder moves. Most nights, her dad didn’t even make it home from Wyrm, he had so many fires to put out.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Tensions between the Bulldogs and the Serpents were at an all-time high, given that she wasn’t the only one to see Reggie with a gun that night. She had to break up at least two fights a week, even though she wanted nothing more than to let her snakes beat out all of their frustrations on the Northsiders that sneered at them every chance they got. Even though she wanted nothing more than to join them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________She mostly kept to the gang now, simply because it was getting downright sickening to watch Betty and Archie and Veronica, who were more one entity rather than three separate people at this point. Deep down she was happy for them, but on the surface, she could only resent their bliss. A bliss she knew she was never going to have._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________It was after another big fight with Reggie in the student lounge that her dad finally found out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________At least it was right before the bell, so she could stumble home and feel the burning in peace, without the threat of someone walking in on her or Toni hovering by with a sympathetic hand because she didn’t feel the burning anymore, not since Cheryl stopped being a colossal bitch and the two of them finally got together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________So she was alone, running her arm under water as cold as their shitty tap would go until it wasn’t enough and she had to sink to the floor, jacket thrown haphazardly on the kitchen table as she gripped her arm and sobbed with it. Dimly, she was aware that this break down was a long time coming. Reggie’s name was so red it was almost glowing and she could feel the pain in her bloodstream, like someone was running a hot knife through her veins until she _screamed _, pain and anger and frustration and hopelessness mixing in a savage yell.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________She didn’t know how long she sat there shaking before leather clad arms wrapped around her, a hand moving to pet her hair while the other stroked slow and steady down her back. She curled into him until she was nearly in his lap, like when she was four and dreamed about all manner of terrifying things coming out of her closet to drag her away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________She was afraid now, too, and somehow this fear was even worse._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________He held her until the pain stopped, until her sobs turned into shaky exhales and the tears finally dried on her face. Gently, her dad grabbed her right arm and looked at the angry skin as it slowly faded back into black, looking again as if nothing had ever happened, only the lingering ache in her bones and the dry tears on her face remaining._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” He asked. It wasn’t an accusation; he kept his voice soft like he was trying not to spook a wild animal. She sniffed noisily, letting out a wet laugh as she pulled herself to her feet. “There’s nothing you can do to change it. It’s my choice.” He only continued to look at her as she ran her hand under tap water and used it to clean off her face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“How often does this happen?” He asked, hauling himself to his feet to lean back against the fridge. She didn’t answer for a moment, taking the time to pull her hair into a ponytail and put her jacket back on. “Every time I fight with him.” He nodded, rubbing his tired eyes as she softly shoved him out of the way of the fridge, cracking open a can of vanilla coke. It brought her mind back to that humid day down at the quarry when Fangs and Toni were debating whether cherry vanilla was superior to regular vanilla. It made her mouth quirk into a smile, and she desperately wished things were still that simple._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Her dad still hadn’t said anything, so she moved to lean against the counter next to him. He smelled like smoke and gasoline, but no alcohol. That makes it five months sober. Before she could stop herself, she asked “Does it ever get easier?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________He turned to look at her, giving her a long hard stare that she couldn’t quite decode before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight into a half-hug._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“No.” He said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Things mellowed, after that. In the way that you can say the eye of the storm was mellow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Because that’s where they were, she knew. The Black Hood (Betty’s _dad _, holy _shit _) had been arrested, the Ghoulies were finally backing off, and her and Reggie seemed to come to a silent agreement to stay the fuck out of each other’s way now, after that really bad day._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Sometimes she thinks about how he deals with it; the burning agony of their spurned bond. She wonders if it hurts as much for him. If it makes him cry, not just the physical pain but the knowledge that they would never get what other people have. What Betty and Archie and Veronica have in their rose-tinted world of milkshakes and football games and homecoming dances. What Toni and Cheryl have with their silk sheets and Serpent jackets and fresh tattoos because honestly, why wouldn’t Cheryl join them now?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Reggie and Jughead would never have that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Sure, maybe he wasn’t as much of an asshole as he used to be. Maybe she wasn’t as much of a snarky loner as she used to be. Maybe people can actually change in real life and not stay static in their stereotypes, maybe they were different people now who somewhere, sometime, might’ve actually stood half a chance of being happy.._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________But that wasn’t Jughead, and that definitely wasn’t Reggie._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Some days, Jug convinces herself she can handle it. She goes to school, she laughs with her friends, she shoots pool at the Wyrm, she works on her novel, and just generally lives her life as if her wrist is blank. Sometimes, she wishes she had been born as one of those rare people without a soulmate. She thought she could live her life quite comfortably with her laptops, her books, coffee, burgers, and her friends._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________And then she’d see Reggie at school the next day, and _ache _with all the things she couldn’t have.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________She was walking down the hall after one late night working on her novel when she accidentally slammed into him, sending them both to the ground with her almost on top of him and it almost killed her, right then and there. All of a sudden, the face that she was trying so hard to avoid whenever possible was scant inches in front of her, his hands feather-light on her waist and hers gripping his shoulders. Every point of contact between them burned, not like their neglected bond, but a slow-spreading warmth like hot chocolate sliding down her throat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________The feeling took all the breath out of her lungs and in a second she was scrambling off of him, leaving him sprawled on the hallway floor as she slammed into the nearest bathroom. She barely had time to sink to the floor before his name starting burning again, but instead of a violent boil it was a dull, throbbing ache and she suddenly remembered what her dad told her, about not hating your soulmate but ignoring them, not letting yourself have them, and it wasn’t agony but somehow it was _so much worse. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________She pulled her knees up, burying her face in them and wrapping her arms around herself like that would somehow make her feel better. It can’t have been more than a few minutes before she heard heels clicking on tile walking toward her, surefooted, so she knew it wasn’t just someone coming to use the restroom._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“Leave me alone, Toni.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“I’m not Toni.” And she jerked her head up to see none other than Cheryl Blossom looking down at her, wrapped in her bright red Serpent jacket and wearing an expression between pity and exasperation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________Her opinion on Cheryl had been pretty solid since they were little. Even when Jason had been alive to curb her more cruel tendencies she had been a lot, more so after his unexpected death. Then again, she couldn’t really say anyone in this town was particularly _normal _, herself included. Before shit started hitting the fan, Cheryl was nothing more than a shallow, rich bully. Now, Jughead thinks that that’s just what she wanted everyone to think she was, perched atop her ivory tower so high that no one would dream of hurting her.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________There’s a vulnerability about her now. Once she worked through some stuff and started dating Toni (a move that most of the Serpents neither expected nor really supported, Jughead included) she ended up shocking everyone by going to therapy and starting to unlearn a lot of the toxic (and some downright horrifying) behavior and ideals that the Blossoms instilled in her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Cheryl was actually, dare she say it, _likeable _now. She fit into their little group with surprising ease, and she and Jughead passed many an evening at Pop’s trying to out-snark each other, to the amusement or annoyance of the other three. Never would she have thought she’d count Cheryl Blossom not only as a friend but as one of her closest friends. But, then again, people change.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Cheryl didn’t sit next to her as Toni would have, she'd rather die than get that expensive skirt dirty, but she did crouch down in front of her and balance there._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________“Why are you putting yourself through this torture?” She asked bluntly, but not unkindly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________She scoffed. Leave it to Cheryl Blossom to make everything more dramatic than it was. “It’s...it’s not...it’s complicated.” She finally settled on. She wasn’t lying; this whole situation was more complicated than anyone deserved._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Cheryl sighed, rising from her crouched position and brushing non-existent dirt off of her skirt and leggings. “I can see that trying to talk you out of this is pointless, so I’ll just leave you with this.” She crossed her arms, leaning her weight on one stiletto in the most Cheryl Blossom pose she had ever seen her in. “He’s feeling the same pain you are. And coming from someone who fought off her soulmate and then gave in-” She paused, smiling slightly as she thought about Toni, no doubt. “You’ll wonder why you were even fighting it in the first place.” With that and a dramatic hair flip, she left Jughead sitting in the bathroom just as abruptly as she had found her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________She let out a harsh breath, leaning her head back until she was watching the scant inches of sunlight the window let in play across the ceiling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________She had never really believed in all the soulmate cliches. She had seen plenty of bonded pairs in Riverdale; highschool sweethearts were more common than Pop’s wrappers around here. And sure, they always seemed happy, but the stuff they wrote romance novels about? That your soulmate would just ‘get’ you in a way no one else would? That they would fit into your life like they had been there since the day you were born?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Bullshit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________She could never imagine that type of happiness with _Reggie _.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________After her talk with Cheryl she made a decision: ignore Reggie._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________It wasn’t fair and it definitely wasn’t easy, but she knew it was more painless for them both in the long run. Soulmates or not, reformed bully or not, her and Reggie would never work. It didn’t matter that they had each other's names. It didn’t matter that pretty much everyone she knew was telling her that she couldn’t fight the pull forever. She would. She would and it would be better for them both._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________She was repeating that to herself like a mantra so she could stop thinking about the fact that Reggie was absent when Moose ran up to her locker after lunch, almost bowling her over in his haste. “Watch it-” She started to snap before he grabbed both of her shoulders, turning her to face him. His face was as white as a sheet and he looked downright scared._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________“Moose?” She asked, unable to articulate anything else. “Jug, it’s..it’s Reggie. He’s in the hospital…his dad says he got jumped last night…” She couldn’t hear the rest of his sentence over the roaring in her ears. She felt like her stomach had dropped out. “...some sort of gang jackets…” Moose was saying before she cut him off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________“Jackets? Do you know what was on the back of them?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________The Wyrm was in an uproar. Conversations overlapped in front of her and behind her and all Jughead could do was hold her head in her hands and just...shake. Cheryl and Toni both had a hand on each of her shoulders and were doing their best to be quiet as the bar raged around them, a futile effort to bring a little bit of peace to her as she silently fell apart._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________Somehow, someway, Penny found out that Reggie was her soulmate._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________She should’ve...she should’ve known. She should’ve been more careful. Her own angsting over Reggie and their bond shouldn’t have gotten in the way of her at least _warning _him about the danger he was in. Soulmates of gang members are never safe, especially when you’re the soulmate of a gang member who’s being targeted by the leader of another gang, a gang that was out for her blood ever since she had carved Penny’s serpent tattoo off.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________She wondered if she would still have done it if she had known it would’ve started a chain of events that led her here, nearly hyperventilating and her soulmate in the hospital, beaten within an inch of his life for a crime that she committed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________“We know who did it! We know who did it and we can’t just let her get away with it!” Fangs was saying, more like yelling, at her dad. Serpents protect their own and, as far as any of the Serpents were concerned, a Serpent’s soulmate was as good as family. And Reggie getting jumped was a targeted attack. Distantly, Jug knew that they were reacting exactly the way the Ghoulies wanted them to, but…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________Her dad was shaking his head slightly, running a hand down his face. She could see the way his jaw was clenched from here. She was almost afraid to check in on her bond with Reggie right now, not wanting to find it weakened or fraying. Every time she thought about him her throat closed up and her stomach tightened with panic. Her leg was jittering with the need to just jump on her bike and speed to the hospital; to see with her own eyes that he wasn’t dead, that he wasn’t going to die--_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________But she knew she would be looking at her own failure to protect him right in the face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________“We know where Penny holes up, right?” Sweet Pea said, and she slowly looked up, catching the moment that Sweet Pea, Fangs, and her dad all looked at her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________“Yeah.” She stood up, hands clenched into fists hard enough that her nails dug into her palms. “We do.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________It was nearly midnight before she finally made it to the hospital, knuckles bloody and her left eye already starting to darken. Visiting hours were long over but all she had to do was flash her soul mark and they hastened her back to Reggie’s room. Soulmates have always gotten special visitation privileges; it was considered cruel to keep a bonded pair from seeing each other when one was in the hospital unless they were in the middle of surgery._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________Once she caught sight of him from the door of his room, she had to fight back the tears that suddenly sprung to her eyes. Reggie was, seemingly, sleeping, hooked up to more than one machine and absolutely covered in bruises. His right arm was in a cast, and there were at least three bandaged cuts covering his face. His ankle was also in a brace, elevated on a pillow. The chair next to his bed was empty._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________She sank into it, putting her face in her hands as she let out a quiet sob._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________“You came.” Evidently not as quiet as she thought, looking up to see Reggie looking at her, his left eye nearly swollen shut. She swiped at her face, wincing when she hit her black eye. She almost asked if he was okay before mentally hitting herself; of course he wasn’t _okay _. Instead, she croaked out “Yeah. I came.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________He tried to smile at her, but couldn’t get very far around his split lip. They sat in slightly awkward silence for a minute before Jug couldn’t hold back anymore, the words spilling from her lips so much more clumsily than they usually do._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry this is all my fault. Penny found out and the Ghoulies have a grudge against me and I should’ve warned you but I was so stuck in my head about us and now you’re here and it _hurts _,-”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________________Reggie took her hand suddenly, rubbing his thumb over her bruised knuckles so gently that her voice just died. She looked down at where he was holding her hand, with his right hand, and she finally saw his mark for the first time. Sitting on his arm in her cramped handwriting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________________________________Forsythia Jones. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________She normally hates her real name but something about seeing it on him was different. She remembered the first time she googled her name because her mom told her once that it was a flower. It was more of a bush, she thought, covered with bright, spindly yellow flowers that she couldn’t help but think were nothing like her. She asked her dad once why they gave her that name. He said it was a tradition; his name was Forsythe, and so was his father’s. Her name wasn’t really her own, it was just passed down to her from other family members._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________Forsythia Jones written on Reggie’s tawny skin was...something different._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________It felt like forever before she could look back up at him, and she was crying again when she did. He had managed to drag himself into a sitting position while she was lost in thought, and his normally perfectly styled hair was mussed now: scrunching into little curls that fell onto his forehead. She thought that she much preferred that look on him, and carefully didn’t think about what had happened to cause it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________“I don’t blame you.” He said. She laughed, using her free hand to swipe at her tears again, somehow knowing that wouldn’t be the last time she did. “You should. I should’ve warned you about how much danger you were in.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________He smirked at her, that same cocky smirk he used to give her in school but it looked different now, surrounded by bruises and softer than she had ever seen and she was struck with the realization that _he _was what was so different about it.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________________“I’m sorry about everything else too.” She whispered. Seeing him in pain now was killing her, but there were so many times before when he was in pain because of her. How many times had she rejected the bond? How many times had she hurt him, her soulmate, her other half, the other piece of her heart? And for what?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________________Reggie used to be a bully. That was true. But when was the last time she had seen him knock someone’s books out of their hands? He was just another person trying to survive in this insane town. Just because he used to be a bad person doesn’t mean he still is one. Was she supposed to hold that against him forever? Who’s to say he hadn’t changed just as much as she had this past year?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________________She was shaken from her thoughts by Reggie lifting the hand he was still holding and brushing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. It pulled a smile out of her, one of the first genuine ones she had given in a while. “I forgive you.” He whispered back. She rested her hand on top of his, and didn’t stop him when he moved to push the sleeve of her jacket up, running his fingers across his name on her skin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________________“This...this isn’t going to be easy.” She said, trying to keep her focus while every place he was touching her lit up like a Christmas tree under her skin. He just gave her that infuriatingly soft smirk again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________________“I know.” He said. “But if it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> I did not mean to make this as long as it was. I apologize. Let me know what you think!


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